Whisper
by AKLNxStories
Summary: A pair of Rangers are mysteriously murdered during a gathering, leaving their two apprentices without mentors. Will and Halt step up, but there is something the apprentices aren't telling their new mentors and it has to do with their former mentors' murder... Morgarath may be dead, but someone else wants the Rangers gone for good.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi. It's very late. This is going to be short because I'm tired, and it's probably going to be crappy, but I need to finally get this story going lol.**

 **~Liz**

 **Chapter 1**

Will dismounted Tug and breathed in the fresh autumn air happily.

"What a great afternoon." Will smiled, offering the horse a shiny red apple.

Tug whinnied happily and gulped down the apple. The horse then flicked his ears and subtly snorted. Will glanced over his shoulder, not seeing anyone, then turned back around to see a tall cloaked figure suddenly standing in the path. Will jumped slightly but composed himself and acted like nothing had happened. He smiled warmly as the tall Ranger bounded over to him and pulled him into a hug.

"Hey, Gilan!" Will exclaimed happily.

"Hullo, Will," Gilan responded cheerfully, releasing Will from his bear hug. "Is Halt here yet?"

Will rolled his eyes and laughed. "Give it up, Gil." he scoffed. "It's never going to happen."

Gilan tilted his head with confusion and gazed at Will innocently. "What's never going to happen?" he asked. "Me surprising Halt like I just surprised you?"

Will scowled and grabbed his longbow from a bag on Tug's back. "Don't get all smart," he snapped. "I'm just saying if it hasn't happened by now, it never will."

Gilan waved his hand dismissively then froze and narrowed his eyes, listening to the sound of hooves on the path. A mischievous smile crept onto his face and he leapt into the brush beside him.

"If you give me away," he began, locking eyes with Will. "I'm gonna...er... do something bad to you."

Will raised an eyebrow but sighed when Gilan mimicked him, doing it better. Gilan snickered and melted into the trees. Will glanced over his shoulder and watched as a shaggy horse trotted down the path. It slowed down when it came to Will and the small Ranger flung himself at the dismounting rider. The short rider embraced his former apprentice in a hug and glanced around.

"How have you been, Halt?" Will asked with a smile.

Halt returned his attention to Will and nodded his head. "Good." he replied warmly.

"Is something wrong?" Will asked, concerned about his mentor's preoccupation.

Halt shook his head and patted Abelard softly. "Just wondering when Gil will realize I know he's in those bushes over there."

A muffled protest came from the bushes and Gilan leapt out of them with a disappointed look on his face.

"Surprise.." he cheered weakly.

His eyes brightened quickly however, and he gave his mentor a warm hug.

"Good to see you both again." Halt said with a subtle smile.

Suddenly, Abelard and Tug stiffened and Tug shoved Will softly. The three Rangers tensed and glanced around carefully, clutching their bows.

"YOU'RE SO DEAD!" A loud voice roared from somewhere in the trees. The Ranger's relaxed slightly when they identified the voice as young.

A gray blur dove into the path in front of Will and let out a laugh. The blur leapt to his feet and gazed back into the woods. He was small with dusty brown hair and playful hazel eyes. A second lean figure burst out of the trees and skidded to a stop. He was slightly smaller than Will, about 15 or 16 with jet black hair and piercing blue eyes that were filled with fury. He was also drenched with cold water, and shivering. His icy gaze locked onto the short figure that now stood slightly behind Will.

"Hey, calm down," the smaller boy smiled nervously. "It was only an accident."

"Um," Gilan began, glancing at the two boys.

The black haired one flicked his gaze toward Gilan and narrowed his eyes.

"You got so lucky," he snarled shifting his gaze to examine the three older Rangers.

Four horses darted toward the Rangers from further down the path, two without riders. The horses came to a clean stop and their two riders, one a short stocky man, and the other a surprisingly big and muscular man, glanced at the two boys. The stocky man with wavy brown hair, dismounted and nodded a greeting to Halt.

"Hullo, Halt," he smiled.

Halt nodded back. "Eirnin,"

Suddenly, the Ranger's eyes flashed with fury and he glared at the smaller boy who cowered under his gaze.

"Rudy West, get over here now." he snapped.

The boy shuffled toward the Ranger and gazed at the ground. The Ranger slapped the boy upside the head and scowled.

"What on earth were you thinking?" he scolded the flinching boy who fiddled with the end of his cloak.

The black haired boy hissed a low curse to himself as he wrung out his cloak and scowled at Rudy. The large Ranger on the horse gazed calmly at the scene then shifted his attention to the drenched boy.

"Eirnin" he said in a deep, yet surprisingly soft voice, interrupting Eirnin's scolding.

The stocky Ranger glanced at the man and crossed his arms.

"Don't reprimand only your apprentice," the big Ranger said. "Samuel is also at fault."

The soaking boy blinked with confusion and surprise and let go of his wet cloak. He looked as though he was about to protest, but a sharp glare from the large man kept him quiet.

"Oh, look at how rude we're being," Eirnin said, glancing at Halt, Will and Gilan. "I'm Eirnin, and this is my apprentice Rudy."

Gilan and Will waved at the pair but Halt seemed like he was already acquainted with the Rangers.

"I am Barley," the large Ranger said. "And that's Sam, my apprentice."

The black haired apprentice remained silent and crept toward his mentor who slid off his horse.

"May I ask why your apprentices came charging in here like a pack of wolves?" Halt asked stiffly.

Eirnin glanced at Rudy. "Care to explain?"

Rudy huffed and crossed his arms.

"Sam fell into the river back there and blamed me for it, therefore chasing me through the forest to here." he explained with a smile.

"You little liar," Sam hissed, narrowing his eyes.

"What?" Rudy asked innocently.

"You threw a rock at me and knocked me off my horse!" Sam exclaimed.

"Well, you're the one who rolled into the river aren't you?" Rudy snorted.

Sam's eyes flashed with rage and he leapt at Rudy but Barley grabbed him and held him back.

"You two get along about as good as a cat and dog." Eirnin sighed folding his arms. "Thanks to you two, we're all going to be late for the Gathering."

Sam shrugged and glared at Rudy.

"So rather than standing here, why don't we go ahead and go to the Gathering then?" he snapped.

Barley shook his head at his apprentice and mounted his horse. "Lucky for you we brought Storm and Rush."

Sam shuffled toward a black horse with gray splotches and mounted it swiftly. Rudy did the same, but sped off without his mentor.

Two more horses came trotting slowly down the path toward the Rangers and Barley smiled warmly at the small boy on the dark brown horse.

"We were trying to catch up to you." the handsome Ranger on the second horse said.

"Sorry about that, Stephen," Barley sighed. "There were some issues again."

The Ranger, Stephen smiled and shook his head. "No worries," he reassured him. "Ah, well if it isn't Gilan, Halt and Will,"

The three Rangers smiled at the friendly Ranger, while Sam sped off on his horse, followed closely by Barley.

"How have you been, Stephen?" Halt asked.

"Ah, I've been fine thank you," Stephen replied, glancing at the boy on the horse beside him.

"Got an apprentice have you?" Gilan asked with curiosity.

The boy almost seemed to recoil and he lowered his head timidly. Stephen only laughed.

"Yep!" Stephen chirped. "This is Franz."

Franz was a small apprentice with wispy, light blonde hair that was swept neatly to the side. He had dark green eyes that seemed to reflect the forest itself, and his red cheeks were speckled with a few freckles.

"Aww, Franz," Stephen urged his apprentice softly. "Go ahead and say hello, these are some fine Rangers here, they're very kind."

Franz's hesitant green eyes swept across the three Rangers, then he glued his gaze to the ground.

"Hi.." he said softly.

"He gets a little nervous with new people," Stephen explained, giving his apprentice a gentle pat on the back. "Well, why don't we all head to the Gathering before all the good spots are taken!"

"Good idea," Will said, offering a gentle smile to Franz.

The shy apprentice returned the smile weakly and shifted in his saddle. As the Rangers made their way to the gathering, Will noticed that Franz flinched or jumped at every noise. He couldn't help but wonder why the apprentice was so jumpy.

 **Hey, so I know this chapter was basically just introducing a mass of characters, but I promise you the next chapters will be better. This was just to introduce the characters that you will be reading about as this story progresses. Reviews are awesome, I'll take any advice.**

 **~Liz**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, hope you enjoy this next chapter. For some reason, I'm finding this is the easiest story to write at the moment, so this one is probably going to have the most updates at least from me. We'll still update the other stories, I just enjoy writing this one and hope you enjoy reading it.**

 **~Liz**

 **Chapter 2**

Gilan brought Blaze to a stop alongside Abelard and Tug. He watched as the fiery black haired apprentice he met previously, grumbled to Barley from a further distance. The huge mentor then snapped something Gilan couldn't hear to the apprentice and the apprentice let out a frustrated cry.

"Ugh!" Sam slid off his horse and grabbed his bow. "But I can't stand that little-"

"Samuel!" Barley interjected sharply. "Don't talk about your fellow Rangers that way, Rudy works just as hard as you do."

Gilan watched as Sam rolled his eyes and shrugged away from his mentor. Barley sighed and watched his apprentice stalk off to find a spot to set up a tent. He glanced over his shoulder at the five Rangers and shook his head.

"He just won't listen," Barley sighed to Stephen as the group of Rangers dismounted their horses.

The young Ranger gave a hardy laugh and slung his quiver over his shoulder.

"Sometimes I wish mine could be just a little like yours," he joked. "At least then he wouldn't be so scared all the time."

Gilan glanced at Franz as the timid apprentice listened silently to Will and Halt's gentle banter.

"Hmm," Barley agreed. "But the boy does have a reason to be timid doesn't he?"

Stephen's smile faded and he glanced at Barley with a knowing look.

"Let's not discuss that here," Gilan heard him whisper as he and Halt approached the two Rangers.

"So," Gilan smiled. "Are all the good spots taken?"

Stephen immediately brightened and crossed his arms.

"I'd imagine so, but why don't we go see if we can find a spot," he beamed, then glanced over at Franz who was petting his horse gently. "Do you want to come with us, Zippy?"

The apprentice glanced over at his mentor with a subtle smile and nodded then grabbed his bow and fed an apple to his horse.

"Zippy?" Gilan asked curiously.

"Ah, it's a pet name," Stephen explained with a smile. "If you've ever seen the kid run you'd understand."

Gilan glanced at the small apprentice that swiftly made his way to the group and fell into step closely beside his mentor. Gilan smiled as Will broke away from Halt and approached Franz,

"That's a nice looking horse you have back there," Will began gently.

The apprentice glanced at Will with a subtle look of confusion on his face.

"Thanks," he replied quietly. "His name is Blu."

"That's a nice name," Will responded, looking slightly relieved that he was making conversation. "Why do you call him that?"

"Well he-" Suddenly a loud snap yanked Franz out of his calm state and he jumped nearly a foot in the air, practically clinging to his mentor.

"Hey!" Stephen cooed, trying to calm his apprentice. "It's okay, look see?" Stephen pointed at the large twig Gilan had stepped on. "It's only a stick."

Franz's paled face quickly reddened and he shook his head gently. "Sorry," he whimpered.

Stephen wrapped an arm around his apprentice and walked ahead with him while talking quietly, leaving Barley, Will, Gilan and Halt behind.

"What was that about?" Gilan asked, slightly concerned.

Barley sighed. "Stephen first met Franz by investigating the murder of Franz's family."

Will gasped lightly and shook his head. "That's terrible."

Barley nodded solemnly. "Poor boy watched his family get killed by his eldest brother and an unknown man, right in front of him, and Stephen was assigned to investigate, unfortunately the unknown man turned on his brother and killed him as well. They never caught him, but Stephen took on Franz as his apprentice."

Gilan glanced at Will feeling a pang of sympathy for him. The conversation probably reminded him of his family.

"Then about a year into his training, Franz and Stephen were jumped by a mysterious group of masked bandits, the two nearly died," Barley continued. "Franz has always been a little jumpy, but I don't know what's gotten into him lately, I thought he was getting better."

Halt gripped his bow tighter. Gilan narrowed his eyes. It seemed like Barley was leaving something out of the story, but he remained silent. By the time Barley had finished his story, the group was already at the camping spots and they broke apart to find any remaining spots to pitch a tent.

* * *

Sam watched from the trees as the Rangers Halt and Will and his mentor, settled down in front of a campfire. The three were soon joined by Gilan, Stephen and Franz and they all sat talking quietly about the day's events. Sam pondered about whether he should join the group. He had been acting pretty rotten and although he would never admit it, he felt slightly guilty. Sam leaned against a hard tree and narrowed his eyes as the Rangers laughed loudly. There was no way he was going to go over there and make himself look like even more of a jerk. He shifted quietly and continued to watch, but he noticed that Franz quickly glanced up. The little apprentice stared right at Sam and made a small gesture. Sam gaped at him, not sure what to think that Franz had just heard him shift in the woods about ten feet away. Sam shuffled out of the trees and glided over to the Rangers, sitting down beside Franz, earning a few stares. He eyed his mentor who was trying to hide a smile.

"What?" Sam asked crossing his arms.

"Oh nothing," Barley snorted. "Just surprised you decided to join us."

Sam looked over to see Franz smirking at him.

"You better not start with me too," Sam warned.

Franz shrugged and poked the ground with a stick, a small smile still on his face. Sam would never actually do anything to hurt the other apprentice.. Sam sighed and stared into the fire. Franz was probably the only one that could ever get away with poking fun at Sam, and he knew it.

"Where's Crowley?" Will asked looking around the fire.

"Probably in his tent doing 'paperwork'," Gilan snorted. "And by paperwork I mean napping."

The Rangers erupted into a fit of laughter, but Sam noticed Franz continuously looking over his shoulder. The ebony haired apprentice elbowed his friend and offered him a smile.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

Franz nodded, but his face seemed to be drained of it's color.

"So what seems to be the thing most talked about today?" Gilan asked.

Sam sat back and began to talk without taking his eyes off the crackling fire.

"Well I heard about a strange group of men being spotted around some Ranger's cabin lately."

Franz's nervous emerald gaze fixed on Sam as the apprentice spoke.

"But I mean, who knows? Could just be their imagination," Sam continued.

"That's probably what it is," Halt interrupted quickly, glancing at Franz. "Some of these guys like to try to prank their fellow Rangers."

Franz seemed to relax slightly, but he still had a tense look about him and Sam felt a pang of guilt. He hadn't meant to make him nervous. There was a slight rustling in the trees behind the pair and they both looked over their shoulders. Sam dismissed the noise and sat back, slapping Franz on the back.

"It's only the wind," he reassured.

Franz turned around and poked the ground with an arrow. To everyone's surprise, he spoke up.

"Do you guys know Toby?" he asked.

The Rangers all smiled and nodded, recalling the clumsy Ranger.

"Well, his apprentice, Evan, told me that he burned down his whole cabin trying to bake some bread."

The group roared with laughter and Sam elbowed his friend encouragingly.

"Now t _hat's_ something worth talking about." Gilan laughed.

"Well as much fun as this is," Sam finally said getting stiffly to his feet. "I think I'm going to go practice shooting for a bit."

He grabbed his bow and slung his quiver over his shoulder, but stopped in front of Franz.

"Want to come with me?"

The small apprentice blinked looking slightly taken aback by the offer and glanced at his mentor.

Stephen beamed and nodded encouragingly. "Go ahead."

Franz leapt to his feet and grabbed his bow and quiver, following closely after Sam.

* * *

 _THWACK!_

Sam's arrow buried itself into the bark of the tree firmly.

"Nice shot," Franz complimented, freeing the arrow from the tough bark.

"Thanks," Sam responded, taking the arrow from his friend.

He pulled back another arrow and let it go, this time just missing the tree. The arrow flew into the woods and Sam scoffed.

"I blame the wind," he sighed. "Your turn."

Franz's face brightened and he grabbed his bow from the stump he had set it on. He grabbed an arrow from his quiver and pulled it back slowly but surprisingly steady. He let go of the arrow and it hit the tree with a loud crack. Sam was just about to compliment him on his firm shot when Franz grabbed another arrow and released it quickly, hitting a different tree. He continued this pattern with only about three seconds in between each arrow until he shot practically every tree in the small clearing. Franz finally lowered his bow with a satisfied smile. He had only missed once.

"What was that!" Sam cried with impressed amusement. "I didn't know you could shoot that fast!"

Franz shrugged with a modest smile and looked up at the darkening sky.

"I'll race you," Sam teased. "Bet you I'd win."

Franz hurried to retrieve his arrows and clung to his bow nervously.

"Maybe tomorrow," he responded, his voice shaking slightly. "It's getting pretty dark and we should head back."

Sam nodded but inwardly sighed. He knew Franz was terrified of being jumped again and Sam didn't bother to reassure him that it wouldn't happen again, he and Stephen had been trying for a year. He assisted Franz in collecting his arrows then grabbed his own bow and quiver. The two then took off at a quick pace through the woods, Franz sticking to Sam like glue.

"Sammy, are you afraid of anything?" Franz asked, trying to take his mind off the dark trees.

Sam shrugged. "Of course not," he began blankly. "I'm secretly a Kalkara that can't experience human emotions."

Franz's wide green eyes filled with fear as he stared at his boots. Sam huffed and rolled his eyes.

"Of course I get afraid," he sighed. "Of... you know, _some_ things."

Franz laughed nervously and glanced over his shoulder. He turned back around and looked up at the dark trees that loomed over the two apprentices. They seemed to grow bigger and bigger, their long black shadows spilling onto the pair. Their branches seemed to reach out like sharp grabbing claws. Franz's gaze shifted to the huge orange moon that looked like it was stained with blood, it almost looked like an eye...

"Like what things?" Franz asked quickly, feeling suddenly lightheaded.

Sam glanced at his trembling companion. "You know, the usual," he sighed. "Bunnies, and butterflies. And oh god, ladybugs." Sam gave an overdramatic shudder and twirled his bow in his hands. "The things are monsters."

Franz smiled weakly. He took a deep breath he was only overreacting, the claws were just branches, the moon was just the moon, and the dark was just-

 _SNAP!_

Franz froze and clung to his bow so tight that he couldn't feel his fingers. Sam stopped short and turned around. He scanned the tree line and listened to a familiar rustling sound. He grasped his bow and nocked an arrow swiftly.

"Sam, what is that?" Franz whimpered.

"It's probably just a harmless little animal." Sam responded.

"So why are you planning to shoot it?"

Sam's eyes darted from tree to tree. "Harmless little animals can be very delicious." he said composing his own tenseness. "It's never too late to hunt, right?"

Franz stood completely motionless as Sam examined the forest.

"The rustling stopped, let's go." he reassured, giving his friend a gentle shove.

The continued toward the camp ground but quickened their pace. Sam finally slowed down and placed the arrow back in the quiver. The two boys walked silently, one tense and one full of fear.

"See Franz," Sam sighed with relief. "Nothing."

Suddenly, three tall dark figures leapt out of the trees and landed in front of the two young apprentices. Franz cried out in terror and fell backward while Sam fumbled with an arrow. Before Sam even had a chanced to nock the arrow, the three figures collapsed into a fit of ugly laughter. Franz was on the ground gasping, his teary green eyes staring with confusion and fear at the three figures.

"Their faces were priceless!" One figure howled while leaning on different one.

"Did you see that little one?" The other snorted. "He looked like he was about to keel over!"

"And that one!" the third chortled and began to mimic Sam's attempt at nocking an arrow.

Sam felt his face flush with anger as he stared at the three older apprentices standing over him and helped Franz to his feet. He recognized the three as Twyer and his gang of no-goods. They excel at nearly everything, therefore thinking they were superior to the other apprentices, which made them arrogant. They enjoyed picking on the newer apprentices and Sam had kept himself and Franz away from them the previous year, but failed this year.

"Aww, the poor little kids," One of Twyer's lackeys taunted.

The three then burst into laughter and began to walk away.

"That pathetic little coward," Sam hissed. Twyer then stiffened and whipped around.

"What did you just call me you little brat?" he snapped stalking over to him.

He grabbed Sam by the collar and shoved him against a tree.

"Do you have something you want to say to me?" he hissed.

"Screw off," Sam spat.

"Hey leave him alone," Franz protested approaching Twyer.

"Stay out of this," Twyer growled, shoving Franz into his large friend who roughly pinned his arms behind his back.

"Looks like I'm going to have to teach you some manners," Twyer hissed, turning back to Sam.

Franz paled when Twyer pulled out his saxe knife and struggled to get away from his large captor. He firmly kicked back connecting with his captor's knee hearing a loud crack.. The older boy howled with pain and released Franz who scrambled for his bow. The small apprentice nocked an arrow quickly and fired it, hitting the knife away from Twyer, but also grazing the older apprentice's hand. Twyer cried out in pain and recoiled, giving Sam enough room to shove him over and dart away.

"You're dead!" Twyer roared grabbing his knife. "Get them!"

The trio of older apprentices charged after Sam and Franz. Twyer leapt at Franz, sending both of them to the ground. Franz tried to scramble away but Twyer grabbed him and rolled on top of him, pinning him down. Franz ripped his arm free and attempted to punch Twyer, but Twyer caught his wrist and held him down. Franz could hear Sam cursing loudly as he scuffled with the two other lackeys, but suddenly he couldn't focus on anything else except for the large glinting knife in Twyer's hand. Franz tried to speak but all that came out was a strained whimper.

"You just made the biggest mistake of your life kid," Twyer hissed.

Twyer's icy gaze flicked up when he heard the sound of footsteps and he suddenly froze.

"What the hell is going on here?" a fiery voice boomed.

Twyer recoiled and released Franz. The smaller apprentice clambered to his feet and scrambled away from Twyer. Franz glanced toward the direction of the new voice and took a step back. Standing right outside the camp grounds was the Ranger Commandant, Crowley.

* * *

 **Well this chapter was interesting to write. I'm pretty sure a plot twist just formed while I was writing this so I mean that's good. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Reviews are loved!**

 **~Liz**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hullo, so I'm trying to update this story as frequently as possible, if it seems like I'm rushing the plot or anything just let me know and I'll slow it down, if not positive reviews are fun and awesome. ;P.**

 **~Liz**

 **Chapter 3**

"He shot me, it was simply self defense!" Twyer scowled, shooting an icy glare at Franz.

The blonde apprentice was fiddling with the end of his cloak in the corner of the tent, sitting next to Stephen. He refused to make eye contact with anyone. Sam was practically pacing and flushed with frustration, denying almost everything Twyer was saying.

"Self defense?" Sam scoffed. "What Franz did was self defense, you pulled your saxe on me before he even shot you, then you pulled it on him too!"

Barley placed a large hand on his apprentice's shoulder.

"Just let him finish, you've had your turn." he said quietly.

Sam bit down on his tongue and took a calming breath.

"Fine," he seethed through clenched teeth.

Twyer narrowed his eyes and continued to speak to the Commandant, Crowley.

"I admit, I did take out my knife, but only because I was afraid that _traitor_ would shoot me dead!" he spat.

Franz's fearful gaze met Crowley's and the rattled apprentice shook his head fiercely. Crowley shifted his gaze back to Twyer and his mentor, Axel.

"Is that all you have to say?" he asked, rubbing his forehead.

Twyer nodded curtly and crossed his arms.

"So they're getting kicked out of the corps, I'd hope?" Axel asked emotionlessly.

Crowley pursed his lips and looked down at his desk.

"Uhhmm, nooooo actually," he sighed, shuffling some papers. "But with a little bit more investigation your apprentice and his friends might be."

Twyer's jaw dropped.

"What?" he and Axel shouted in unison.

"Whether it be out of self defense or not, you still pulled a knife on two second year apprentices," Crowley responded. "And if you're as skilled as you say you wouldn't need a knife or your two friends to defend yourself against a pair of apprentices half your size."

Axel crossed his arms while Twyer spluttered with anger.

"You-b-but he still shot me!" he cried an in almost babyish voice, holding up his hand with a small bandage around his finger.

Crowley squinted and looked closely at it. "Right," he said. "I think you'll live, but if the pain is that severe we'll just ask Halt to cut it off for you."

Sam snorted with laughter but quickly covered his mouth.

Twyer scowled at Crowley then glared at Sam and Franz before wheeling around and storming out of the tent. Axel shook his head disdainfully then turned to Stephen.

"Keep an eye on that apprentice, Stephen." he said in monotone. "He may turn on you."

Franz looked as though he had been slapped in the face and he quickly stared at the ground, his face quickly turning red.

"You should talk," Sam hissed.

Axel glanced at Sam and Barley. "You too, Barley, he seems aggressive."

Sam gaped at the dark figure that stalked out of the tent and scrunched up his face in frustration. He kicked one of the chairs then took a deep breath.

"I hate people," he said matter-of-factly before strolling away.

Franz got to his feet shakily and looked at Crowley.

"I-I didn't mean to hit him, I was just trying to get the knife away I didn't-" Franz broke off and looked at the ground.

Crowley smiled softly and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I believe you,"

Franz let out a sigh of relief and smiled.

"See," Stephen clapped his apprentice on the back. "Twyer and Axel are just trying to get attention, you know them."

Franz laughed and nodded.

"Right then," Crowley said crossing his arms. "Franz, why don't you go talk to Sam, there's something I need to speak with Barley and Stephen about."

Franz gave his mentor a puzzled look, but the young mentor smiled reassuringly. "It's nothing, just boring paperwork stuff."

Franz blinked unsurely but obediently walked out of the tent. He stared at his boots as he walked, deep in thought. Why did Stephen keep hiding things from him? Why was Barley involved? Did it have anything to do with the events of the past year when-

"OOF!"

Franz ran right into someone and he and the person fell to the ground. The dazed apprentice slowly sat up and looked around, nothing bad was happening. He looked up and saw an extended hand. He grabbed it and the person he ran into hauled him up.

"Sorry," Franz said quietly, gazing up to identify the person.

"No problem,"

Standing in front of him was a tall, young girl about a year or two older than Franz. She had long wavy brown hair that was in a loose ponytail and lively gray eyes. Her bow was slung sloppily over her shoulder and she beamed at Franz.

"You're Franz right?" she asked with a gentle smile.

Franz nodded shyly as the girl extended her hand once more.

"I'm Adelaide,"

Franz took her hand gingerly and shook it quickly. "Um-Can I ask how you knew my name?" he asked in almost a whisper.

Adelaide smirked. "I heard you and that Sam kid shot Twyer in the hand,"

Franz stared at her with a horrified expression. She laughed and shook her head quickly.

"No, no! Don't feel bad about it, it was great!"

Franz's look of despair quickly morphed into one of confusion. "I thought people liked him,"

Adelaide scoffed and adjusted her quiver. "You're kidding! Everyone hates him."

Franz allowed himself a nervous laugh and sighed with relief. Suddenly there was a flash of lightning and a loud clap of thunder. Franz flinched and swallowed a yelp, looking around frantically. Adelaide dropped her quiver and hurried over to him.

"Whoa, are you alright?" she asked.

Franz blinked a few times then nodded. Suddenly, he snapped back into reality and pulled away from Adelaide, flushing with embarrassment.

"I-I have to go," he said, timidly backing away. "I- sorry, um I- bye."

Without saying another word, Franz dashed away toward his tent.

* * *

Sam grumbled to himself and kicked a rock into the river that ran through the middle of the campsite. That kid Twyer sure knew how to piss people off. He glanced up at the ominous clouds circling above him and glanced over his shoulder. The other Rangers were scurrying around looking for friends, apprentices or mentors as a low rumble of thunder echoed through the camp. Sam stared into the river and watched as a few raindrops obscured his reflection. He sighed and whipped around walking blindly toward Crowley's tent to meet Barley.

W _HAM._

He smacked right into someone and slipped on the slick mud. He managed to catch himself but the other person wasn't so lucky.

"Hey, watch it!" Sam growled as he wrung out his wet and muddy cloak.

"You're the one that ran into me," a voice snapped back. "Why don't you just get on your horse and go back to where you came from you little- wait a minute."

The person Sam had run into sprang to her feet and smiled at him.

"You're Sam, aren't you?"

Sam stared at the girl with the dancing gray eyes and titled his head in confusion. Wasn't she just mad at him?

"Uh, yeah." he responded crossing his arms. "Who are you and should I feel sorry for forgetting we ever met?"

The girl laughed and slung her quiver carelessly over her shoulder.

"I'm Adelaide, and we haven't met before."

Sam nodded curtly and stared at the girl. She had wavy chestnut colored hair and optimistic gray eyes. In fact, she looked kind of pretty.

"Thought so," he responded. "I mean about not meeting before, I didn't mean 'Thought so' about your name being Adelaide because... we haven't... met... before... uh, sorry how did you know my name?"

Adelaide stared at Sam for moment before smiling again.

"You and Franz showed up Twyer, he's been going off about how you two should be kicked out of the corps."

Sam snickered. "I bet he has,"

Adelaide picked up her mud covered bow from the ground and wiped it off with the end of her cloak.

"Don't worry about it though, no one believes that whole self defense crap." she said rolling her eyes. "I just met Franz and he doesn't seem like the type to shoot someone randomly like Twyer said."

Sam nodded. "Trust me, he's not.

"I believe it," she laughed. "So, are you doing any-"

"Adelaide!" Someone called from across the clearing.

Sam glanced past Adelaide, seeing a short, thin man waving her over.

"Ugh, that's my mentor," she sighed. "I have to go, maybe I'll see you around?"

Sam nodded and waved to her, shuddering at the odd feeling in his chest. He watched as Adelaide bounded across the muddy ground toward her waiting mentor. She looked about as warm as Sam felt.

* * *

 **Maybe romance? Meh, I have something big planned for the next chapter but it's late so I'm not going to write it tonight, lol. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and again reviews are loved.**

 **~Liz**


	4. Chapter 4

***Yawn***

 **~Liz**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own anything.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

Franz kicked a rock and pulled his cloak around himself as the wind threatened to knock him off his feet. A bright flash of lightning split across the sky and Franz scrambled into the nearest tent as the sky opened up and cold rain poured down. He sighed with relief and sat down in a corner by the entrance of the tent. The tent was curiously empty, but Franz didn't mind. He was actually relieved that no one saw him scared over a storm. He sighed and ran a hand through his pale blonde hair. The growing storm reminded him of the day he and Stephen were attacked. He drew his knees up to his chest and stared around the dark tent, trying to shove away the frightening memories. He could still remember their harsh, mocking voices and long, glinting knives. He shuddered and took a few calming breaths. Franz's relief was cut short when he heard angry voices approaching the tent.

"What were you thinking," a cold, low voice snapped.

"Well, I'm sorry what was I supposed to do!" a younger voice retorted.

Franz froze when he identified the voices. It was Axel and Twyer. Franz jumped to his feet and went for the exit but two long shadows appeared in front of it. He frantically looked around and ducked behind a pile of equipment in the far corner. He pulled his cowl over his head and shrank back as the tent flap blew open and the two dark figures stormed inside the tent.

"You could have just observed like I told you to," Axel hissed, throwing his bow to the ground near Franz.

Twyer huffed and wrung out his cloak. "They heard Roy and Barton," he protested with contempt. "The best way to cover their tracks was to make it look like a prank."

Franz held his breath as Axel sat down near the pile and shook his head.

"This kid is going to complicate things," he sighed. "The mentor didn't see anything, but if that brat recognizes me and spills to Stephen, it's over."

Twyer pursed his lips and crossed his arms. "If he hasn't recognized you by now then odds are he won't at all," he said. "Plus he's scared of his own shadow if he finds out it's you he'll stay quiet."

Axel seemed to consider this but shook his head. "I'm not so sure, he got a good look at me."

"It was over a year ago, you're making yourself look suspicious," Twyer hissed. "Let's go move the tents away from the river and talk about this later."

"Fine," Axel spat.

Franz watched as the fuming pair left and he slowly came out from behind the pile. He wasn't sure what he heard but he knew it was weird.

 _Why did they mention Stephen, and why does Axel suddenly sound so familiar?_ Franz wondered as he slunk toward the entrance.

He quickly exited the tent and kept his head down as he made his way to his own tent. He stared at the muddy ground, debating on whether he should tell Stephen about the strange conversation. He abruptly collided with someone and slipped on the slick ground, but a strong grip caught him and helped him regain his balance. Franz glanced up to see Halt staring at him with a raised eyebrow. The apprentice bit his lip nervously and struggled to find his words.

"S-sorry," he stuttered. "I didn't see you,"

"That's alright," Halt responded. "But maybe that would happen a bit less if you walked with her head up every once in a while,"

Franz reddened and glanced at the ground.

"I meant that to help you, not embarrass you," Halt clarified. "Are you looking for Stephen?"

The apprentice nodded and Halt gestured toward a large oak tree. "He's over there moving the tents back."

Franz nodded in thanks as Halt gave him a miniscule smile. The apprentice hurried away, keeping his eyes up and watching where he was going. He realized that he noticed a lot more when he kept his head up, even though the rain obscured his view. He brightened when he saw his mentor and Barley shifting a tent away from the swelling river.

"Franz!" Stephen smiled and high fived his apprentice. "Are you here to help us move the tents back?"

"Yeah," Franz responded feeling slightly more upbeat. "But I was wondering if I could talk to you about something later,"

Barley and Stephen finished moving the tent and Stephen leaned against a tree. "Well, if you want you can just tell me now," he said. "What's up?"

"It's about Axel and Twyer," Franz began, lowering his voice slightly. "I-"

The apprentice was suddenly cut short by a distant shout.

"What was that?" Barley asked, stiffening.

There was another shout, but it sounded closer. Franz turned nervously and began to fiddle with the end of his cloak.

"Someone help!"

Franz went rigid and exchanged a worried glance with his mentor. A tall, lean man burst into the clearing on a large brown horse. He looked disoriented and battered as he slid off the horse and stumbled around. Will and Gilan were at the man's side within a second and helped him stand. Crowley burst out of his tent followed closely by Halt. A number of Rangers began to rush to the clearing and crowded around the man.

"Let's go," Barley said.

Sam bounded toward his mentor to join him and Franz walked closely next to his mentor.

"What's going on?" Sam asked.

"We don't know yet," Barley responded, looking curiously at the rugged man.

Franz's breathing hitched as he approached the frantic man.

"My village," the man rasped. "I just returned to my village from a trip and everyone was dead, there was so much blood,"

Surprised mutters rippled through the crowd of Rangers as the man continued to speak.

"I was attacked by a group of masked men in dark clothing when I first arrived, I feigned death to escape them."

The man shuddered and doubled over with pain but Will caught him and helped him stand.

"Get him to our tent," Halt ordered to Gilan and Will.

Franz watched with horror as the disoriented man shouted about death and fire while being lead away by Halt, Will and Gilan.

Sam appeared beside Franz and shook his head.

"That's terrible," he breathed. "Who could kill an entire village?"

Barley shrugged. "I'm not sure,"

Crowley hurried over to Stephen and Barley and spoke quickly. "But you can find out," he said. "You four will accompany Halt, Will and Gilan to that village tomorrow to see what happened."

"All of us?" Sam asked incredulously.

"We don't know if that group of men will come back, better safe than sorry." Crowley explained. "Now if you'll excuse me,"

Stephen and Barley nodded respectfully to the Commandant as he rushed toward Halt's tent.

"C'mon Franz, let's go get some rest before we go tomorrow," Stephen said.

Franz waved goodbye to Sam and Barley and followed his mentor back to their tent. The apprentice couldn't help but feel a surge of fear. A brutal group of masked men sounded eerily familiar to him and he wondered if Stephen felt the same way.

* * *

"So how far away is this village?" Sam asked with a sigh.

"Only a few more miles Sam, quit complaining." Barley responded.

Sam huffed and leaned sloppily on his horse who snorted unhappily.

"You get me Storm," he joked, stroking his horse.

He glanced toward Franz and noticed that his friend was stiff as a board. Even Stephen seemed a little nervous. Sam wondered what it was like to be jumped as viciously as they had been. The apprentice suddenly felt a surge of respect for the pair. They had been brutally attacked, yet their training never faltered. Stephen never gave up on Franz when he became a nervous wreck, and Franz never stopped working hard. Franz was one of the fastest shooting apprentices in the Corps and scored the highest in unseen movement the year before. Stephen was a highly respected Ranger and served as role model to young apprentices.

 _And here I am just a disrespectful, untalented excuse for a Ranger with a mentor I don't deserve._ Sam thought bitterly.

"Are you okay, Sam?" Barley asked slowing his horse.

Sam straightened and plastered an indifferent look on his face.

"Yeah," he said emotionlessly. "I'm fine."

Barley stared at his apprentice and waited expectantly for a truthful answer.

"What?" Sam asked.

Barley shrugged and remained silent, plunging the group into a pit of silence.

"I don't deserve to have you as my mentor," Sam finally said. "I don't know why you've stuck with me for almost two years."

Barley furrowed his brow and glanced at his apprentice. "What?" he asked.

"I'm a jerk to everyone and I don't do anything you tell me to do," Sam continued staring ahead blankly. "You work hard every day to teach me to be a Ranger and all I manage to do is be a jerk."

"Samuel, you're not a jerk," Barley protested.

Sam raised an eyebrow and glanced at his mentor.

"Maybe you're a little short-tempered," Barley sighed. "But it in no way makes me think any less of you. You'll learn to compose your anger."

Sam turned away from his mentor and fiddled with a strand of Storm's hair.

"And maybe if you didn't shut me out all the time I could teach you how to do that."

Sam's gaze flicked back to his mentor and he gave a rare smile. Barley ruffled Sam's hair and matched his horse's pace with Storm's.

"Oh god," Gilan breathed.

Sam slowed his horse when he saw a thick cloud of smoke seemingly rising from the trees.

"Is that from the village?" Will asked.

Halt nodded curtly and took the lead. Franz stopped his horse and stared in frozen horror at the smoke. Stephen doubled back and talked quietly to the apprentice then he rode along side him at a slow pace. Barley silently refused to let Sam ride ahead of him as he flanked his apprentice protectively.

"Stephen, what if it's the same people." Franz fretted, glancing around the trees.

"It's not Franz," Stephen reassured him. "Don't worry,"

Sam noticed that Stephen didn't seem too confident reassuring Franz. He couldn't help but wonder if Stephen thought they may encounter the same people who attacked them a year before.

* * *

 **1 YEAR BEFORE**

"Nice shot, Franz!" Stephen praised.

The young apprentice beamed with pride at the arrow buried deep in the middle of the target.

"It's getting easier," Franz said, pulling his arrow from the target.

"Didn't he say it would?" Stephen teased.

"Yeah, yeah," Franz sighed, nocking the same arrow.

"Okay, now draw back, but slowly don't rush." Stephen advised.

He walked over and fixed his apprentice's posture then backed up.

"You don't have to get it perfect every time, just have good posture and form and the rest will come easy." Stephen said.

Franz nodded and aimed the arrow. He let it go and watched with disappointment as the arrow sailed over the target and disappeared into the woods. Franz sighed and shrugged.

"Like you said, can't be perfect every time," he said.

Stephen clapped his apprentice on the back and smiled. "That's what I like to hear, since Barley and Sam will be coming soon you just go head and get that arrow and we'll call it a day."

"Okay,"

Franz then bounded into the woods and searched the trees and bushes. He slowed once he got deeper into the woods and he glanced up at the darkening sky. An uneasy feeling washed over him as he searched for the arrow, his attention drifting away from the arrow and shifting to every sound and movement in the dark forest. The apprentice looked around with confusion. He hadn't shot the arrow very far, yet he had travelled deeper into the woods than he had wanted.

 _Snap!_

Franz jumped and spun around. Nothing. Surely Stephen wouldn't mind if he lost just the one arrow. He took a deep breath to calm himself and turned to head back, but ran right into a tall, intimidating figure. Franz gasped and scrambled back only to bump into a lean yet short, dark figure.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" The first man asked sweetly. "A little apprentice?"

"Looks like a Ranger to me," the second said. "What a pleasant surprise,"

"Hmm, a Ranger you say, I heard you Rangers know some pretty nice secrets about the King," a third figure this one female, approached from the shadows holding the arrow Franz lost.

"Looking for this, sweetie?" she asked in a mocking tone.

In one swift movement she snapped the arrow in half and threw it aside. Franz flinched and backed away from the three huge figures.

"Grab him," the first man barked.

Franz turned to run but the second man roughly grabbed him and dragged him toward the tall man.

"This can be easy or this can be hard," the tall man began, his voice frighteningly calm and cold. "You tell us what we want to know, and we won't hurt you,"

"But if you don't tell us then we get to have our fun," the woman sneered. "It's up to you honey, but either way you're talking,"

Franz's eyes filled with hot tears as he struggled against his captor. "But I don't know anything, really, this is my first year,"

"We'll start with something easy then," the tall man hissed. "Your Commandant Crowley, is meeting a Ranger named Halt to discuss a plan to bring my friends and I to jail,"

Franz's attention was stolen by the glinting of a knife in the moonlight. His teary emerald gaze flicked to the woman who waved the knife around.

"Now, because of that we don't like them very much so we wanted to pay them a visit," the man continued. "The trouble is we can't seem to find where they live, that's where you come in."

Franz's face paled. "I-I don't know,"

Franz had heard about their plan. They were supposed to get a false word out about the meeting to trick a group of vicious masked men into an ambush. They would pick a place then fake the meeting, when the group moved in a counter group of Rangers that included Stephen, would come in and take them down.

"We don't appreciate liars," the woman hissed.

"They're meeting in Red Valley," Franz said.

The tall man tilted his head and smiled. "Well we know that, we also know that there's an ambush waiting there for us. I meant where the counter group of Rangers will be hiding."

Franz stared at the man with disbelief and fear. How did he know that?

The man laughed a cruel, cold, snake-like laugh that chilled Franz to the bone.

"Got you didn't I?"

Franz shrank back and tried once again to pull away from the large man.

"Tell me where the counter group is," the man hissed.

Franz remained silent and stared fearfully at his boots.

"Very well," the man gestured to the short man holding Franz. "Axel,"

Franz heard his wrist snap before he even felt the agonizing pain shoot through his arm. He yelped in pain and crumpled to the ground.

"Now, I will ask again," the man said calmly. "Where are they meeting?"

Franz shook his head and tried to speak.

"I-I don't know," he sobbed.

The tall man dragged Franz to his feet and shoved him against a tree. "I think you do know, and you're going to tell me," he spat.

He punched Franz viciously and let him go so he collapsed onto the ground.

"Saph, why don't you take over." the man smiled.

The woman sneered and twirled the knife in her hand. Franz shrank back and let out a choked sob.

"That's enough!"

Franz glanced toward the trees and felt a rush of joy when he saw Stephen drawing back an arrow.

"Get the hell away from my apprentice," Stephen spat.

The three figures glared with hatred at Stephen and each one drew a sword. The woman melted into the trees while the two other men snarled at Stephen with their weapons drawn. Stephen shot two arrows within five seconds, knocking each weapon out of their hands. Suddenly the woman charged out of the woods and slashed the large knife at Stephen. Stephen cried out and recoiled from the woman who was skillfully swinging the knife at him. Franz stumbled to his feet, feeling nauseous with pain and grabbed the bow his mentor had dropped. He picked up an arrow from the ground and shot at the woman. The arrow nailed her in the arm and she roared with anger. Red hot pain shot through Franz' wrist and the apprentice quickly dropped the bow and backed away. Stephen drew his saxe knife and began fighting with the woman who had just finished yanking the arrow out of her arm.

Someone suddenly grabbed Franz from behind and held a cold knife to his neck.

"That's quite enough of that Ranger," the cold voice of the short man hissed. "Take another move and the apprentice dies,"

Stephen's eyes flashed with fear when he saw blood beginning to appear underneath the knife. While he was distracted the woman lashed out at Stephen and slashed him across the chest with the knife. Stephen collapsed onto the ground and gasped with pain.

"No!" Franz wailed as he struggled against his captor.

Franz kicked back and heard a snap as his foot connected with the man's knee. The man howled with pain and released Franz, but managed to make a deep cut his arm with the knife as he did. Franz only winced as he scrambled to his mentor.

"Stephen!" he cried, falling beside his mentor.

"No, Axel! It's not worth it," the woman shouted, pulling the short man with her.

"This isn't over you two!" the tall one roared. "When we find you again, we won't be as kind!"

With that the tall man darted into the woods followed by the wounded man who limped away along with the bleeding woman.

"Stephen, hold on!" Franz gasped as he ripped part of his cloak and made a makeshift bandage.

The Ranger began to drift in and out of consciousness as Franz held the cloak against his wounds. It was then Franz realized how tired he felt, and how much blood he was losing himself. He glanced at his own cut and held part of his cloak to it. The throbbing pain in his wrist and arm suddenly began to dissipate as the world began to spin. Franz blinked a few times urging himself to stay awake. He could have sworn he saw Barley and Sam charging through the trees toward them right before the world went dark.

* * *

 **PRESENT**

The group of Rangers pulled their horses to a stop and stared at the broken village in front of them. Countless villagers lay dead around the houses, the rooftops were smoking and tools were strewn across the entire village, broken and useless. Franz stared feeling rising horror as his gaze shifted from body to body. Franz was the last to dismount and he stumbled, feeling suddenly light headed. Stephen steadied him and looked away himself.

"We can investigate the houses while the others take a look at the villagers," Stephen said softly.

Franz nodded, his gaze locked onto the bodies of the villagers. Will and Gilan nodded to Stephen as the Ranger guided his dazed apprentice behind him. The two walked down the hill toward the smoking houses and forced open one of the creaky doors. Inside the house, everything was perfectly in order except for a few charred books. Ashes seeped through the roof onto the floor as Franz backed out of the house.

"Hello," a cold voice said from behind the pair.

Franz jumped behind Stephen who turned calmly.

"Axel," Stephen nodded a greeting. "Crowley wants you here as well?"

Franz stared at the short, lean Ranger with unease. He seemed familiar, but Franz couldn't remember how he was familiar.

"Oh, um yes he does, he thought you would need the extra help." Axel said, smiling kindly.

"Franz, why don't you go check the next house while I show Axel this one," Stephen said, not taking his eyes away from Axel.

Franz's gaze shifted from Stephen to Axel curiously, but he nodded and headed out of this obediently. Franz passed Will and Halt who were looking at some of the dead villagers, and the apprentice turned away. Franz gingerly opened the door to the cabin across the road and looked around. It was just like the other house, not a thing was out of place. As Franz stared around the house he began to think about Axel. Franz definitely knew him from outside the Corps. It suddenly it hit him like lightning. Axel was one of the masked men who attacked him and Stephen, he was there. He helped. Franz didn't know if he should feel fear or anger. He glanced over his shoulder at the house where Stephen was and froze when he saw Axel staring back at him through the window.

* * *

 **Yeah, so this chapter was a bit darker, but they won't all be like this. Hope it wasn't too much, reviews are loved.**

 **~Liz**


	5. Chapter 5

**Agggh I know this hasn't been updated in so long! D: But here's the next update :D**

 **So Liz and Anna have actually been really focused on their HG fic, which is awesome because it's really cool, so for now while they're working on that, Nan and I will be taking over for a bit :D**

 **Once Liz comes back from her HG story, she'll probably continue this for you guys**

 ***Important Note: I struggle a lot with 3rd person POV, when I write that way, it just seems flat and and not very engaging, so while I'm writing, I'm going switch this to 1st person POV only so you guys get the best experience.**

 **I hope you guys still like it ;3;**

 **~ Kate ^.^**

* * *

 **Franz's (1st Person :P) POV**

* * *

I quickly tear my gaze away from the window, although I still feel Axel's dark eyes following me as I step away. Only when I duck my head down do I see the small red drops staining the ground.

Blood.

The sight makes me sick to my stomach, but I find myself wanting to investigate anyway. I look around the small house in case I'm missing anything else, then kneel down. Now I'm sure it's blood. No doubt it's from one of the massacred villagers. Who would do such a thing to an innocent village?

Unless they wanted someone's attention. That's the only explanation, no one destroys an entire village for kicks, people just don't work that way. Not anyone sane at least.

I look up from the loose soil on the ground, looking for any signs of a fight. The table appears to be slightly crooked, the bookshelf is tilted in an odd angle and there are a few books on the ground. Other than that the house looks fine. Whoever did this knew what they were doing, they didn't want to get caught. But why go through the trouble of destroying a village to gain attention, then not leave any evidence of who did it?

All the questions whirl around in my head like a storm, I can't answer any of them. This is puzzling.

I look back down at the dirt and notice something I hadn't before. A boot print. It's faint, someone tried to move lightly so they didn't leave any prints, but this person did. The size of the track isn't too big, but it indicates that the person was tall. The indent is shallow, so the person couldn't have been all that heavy.

So someone who knows what they're doing, not too heavy, but tall. I look closer at the print for anymore clues, and lucky I did. I recognize the unique pattern the track makes.

And just to make sure I take a look at the bottom of my own boots.

I'm right.

A Ranger was here, but I didn't see anyone else come into the house before me. So that means they had to have been here for us. Even then, it couldn't have been anyone here now, all of us are too small to fit the description. But then I realize.

All of us except one person.

"What'd you find there, Franz?"

My heart skips a beat and I quickly scramble to my feet, turning around.

Axel.

I didn't even hear him come in. His silhouette takes up the entire doorframe, it vaguely looks like he's trying to block it on purpose. I can only stare at the man who caused me so much fear and pain. It's because of him that I'm the way I am now. I can't shake the feeling of crushing fear that's weighing me down. I always told myself the next time I saw the man that attacked me, I'd be brave. I'd stand up to him.

Instead, I'm frozen in fear, choking on my own words. It might be different if Axel wasn't also the one who destroyed this village. Who killed all these innocent people. And the worst part is I know it's him. I know he did it! But I'm unable to say anything. I curse myself for being so frightened, sometimes I feel like I don't have control over my own fear. That's probably because I don't.

"Well?" he asks again, a misleading smile plastered on his face.

I shrug and glance down at the boot print, but quickly move back so I'm standing on it when he starts to walk over.

"Just a print," I respond, although my voice is quieter than I intended. "But it's too faded for me to see anything too distinct."

Axel's slightly tense posture relaxes for a moment, but he continues to keep walking.

"Can I just take a look?" he asks.

I freeze. If he looks at it and sees that it's distinct enough, he'll question why I lied. He'll know I suspect him.

"I already looked," I say, my voice catching in my throat.

I don't miss the suspicious, yet aggressive expression that flickers across his face. He narrows his eyes at me, but then smiles.

"Well, I know you looked." he continues. "I just want to make sure you're not missing anything. After all you're still just an apprentice."

He disdainfully spits out the word apprentice as if it was bad food. I can't stop myself from flinching.

"Move aside, please." Axel smiles.

So I do. But I also drag my boot across the print as I move, destroying it. Axel glances down at the dirt and then flicks his fiery gaze back up to me.

"Clever," he hisses quietly.

His friendly, happy-go-lucky demeanor is gone, replaced by his true aggressive one.

"Why'd you do that?"

I only stare at him for a moment, then take a small step away from him, moving my eyes back down to the floor. Axel's dark, withering gaze is like a heavy weight, forcing me to falter under it.

A voice in my head is screaming at me to run, to get as far away from this unstable man as I can. But my feet feel cemented to the floor. My agonizing fear intensifies when he takes a menacing step forward, but then he stops.

I glance up at him in confusion, noticing him looking past me and out the window. I glance over my shoulder, and relief washes over me like ice water on a hot day.

Stephen is staring from beside Halt. It looks like the two were talking but paused their conversation to watch Axel. I look back at Axel who gives the two Rangers a friendly wave. Halt seems fooled, but Stephen only nods at Axel, hesitantly continuing his conversation with Halt.

"We'll talk a little later, okay?" Axel says kindly.

But his malevolent eyes don't match the fake gentleness of his voice. I don't look away from him until he walks out of the house, closing the door when he leaves. I release the air I don't even remember holding in, and feel a wave of dizziness. I grip the table tightly to keep from falling over and blink to refocus my blurry vision.

I watch as Axel disappears into another house. At some point I have to expose him, I have to tell the truth.

Whether it scares me or not.

* * *

 **I know this chapter is kind of short, but I'm still getting a hang of the story. Again sorry for the shift in POVs and stuff, hopefully you guys still like it!**

 **Next update should be soon!**

 **~ Kate ^_^**


End file.
